Wait On The Wyze Outdoor Cam

I come bearing bad news: The Wyze Cam Outdoor is… exceedingly bad. However, hope remains as Wyze generally leverages its Early Access purchasing program as an extended beta test. So, with pre-order shipments scheduled for October, they have plenty of time to work these issues — perhaps most can be corrected or, at least improved, … Read more

Hands on the $35 Blink Mini Video Camera

In something of a pivot, the smart home company known for inexpensive, battery-powered video cams has gone alternating current with the $35 Blink Mini. And, I gotta tell ya, it’s a cute little bugger. The camera anyway, if not the mount. In this space, the Blink Mini’s nearest competitor is the $26 Wyze Cam v2. Whereas … Read more

HDHomeRun Servio OTA DVR First Impressions

In our house, the HDHomeRun Connect has been the go-to network turner for over the air broadcasts. After picking up the redesigned Quatro tuner over a year ago, it’s powered our Plex DVR (bad) and Channels DVR (good) solutions. Now manufacturer Silicondust is out with new hardware that expands HDHomeRun capabilities. The 2TB Servio ($149) … Read more

Eufy Video Doorbell First Look: Better than Ring?

Last year, Anker’s Eufy announced a new Eufycam E wireless camera system looking to get into the home security arena. The system was eerily similar to Arlo’s lineup of cameras, minus the removable battery. Eufy quickly followed up with a Kickstarter campaign to launch the Eufycam that could last for 365 days on a single … Read more

Hands On New Ecobee SmartSensor

With the release of the updated Ecobee SmartThermostat, the company has also refreshed the Room Sensor as the new SmartSensor featuring an updated appearance, that houses enhanced functionality, and improved mounting options. It comes bundled with the new ecobee, but also backwards compatible and sold independently in 2-packs for $79. So what’s new? Most obvious … Read more

Blink XT2 Wireless Camera: A Cheaper Arlo Pro 2

What if you could take the Arlo Pro 2 1080p cameras, run on standard AA batteries instead of proprietary, significantly lower the price of entry, and potentially have a 2-year camera charge? You’d have the new Blink XT2! At least that’s the Blink sales pitch — and it could be close. Amazon-owned Blink announced the … Read more

Ring Smart Lighting First Impressions

Back in January, we broke the news of upcoming Ring outdoor smart lighting and related accessories. This new system was described at CES as a means to extend your existing Ring ecosystem by not only allowing for wireless lighting, but also motion detection. Both can then be integrated with Ring cameras to help capture any … Read more

Arlo Ultra First Look: A Mixed Bag

With the release of Arlo Ultra, the company has upped the ante with not only 4K video quality, but also some neat new features including HDR, color night mode, auto track and zoom. But this jump to higher resolution and feature enhancements has some initial teething problems. Having unboxed the Ultra (below), I began the … Read more